Automatic sampling device.



C. A. WENDELL- AUTOMPJIC SAMPLING DEVICE.

H I A P ICATIO! Fl ED 056.23.!914- Y Lzfio V F L Emma Apr. 24,1917.

4 SHEETPSHEET I- "Am-LI- @m ell C; A. WENDELL. AUTOMATIC SAMPLING DEVICE.

lgggssgga APPLICATION FILED DEC-23, 191 M Patenikd Apr. 24

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2a CL A. WENDELL. AUTOMIJIC SAMPUNG DEVICE.

- APPLICATION FILED DEC- 23, IBM. 1 223544 atented Apr. 24,1 17. 4 SHEETS-SHEET. 3.

'c. A. WENDELL.

AUTOMATIC SAMPLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION mm nc.23. 1914.

- Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

46 Bil 3Q 47 i P W CARL A. WENDELL, 0F JOLIET, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC SAMPLING DEVICE.

M Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

Application filed December 23, 1914. Serial N 0. 878,712.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL A. WVENDELL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Joliet, in the county of lVill and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in .Automatic Sampling Devices, of which .the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automatic sampling devices and has particular reference to a novel construction and arrangement of parts by means of which a desired result may be secured. 1

In plants which handle or utilize large quantities of granular material such as ore, coal, grain, etc, it is essential that samples of material so handled shall be selected and preferably these samples should represent the general run of the material without regard to the quality of any limited or segregated portion thereof. In order to secure the requisite samples by the aid 'of manual labor it would be necessary to employ a large number of men and the result in that case would be more or'less unsatisfactory.

l have designed a machine by means of which a small quantity of material may be removed automatically from the run of such material over a conveyer or the like; then automatically reduce the amount of such se lected sample to a minimum. the final result being a sample representing very many quantities of material each of which has been removed from a diii'ere'nt portion of the conveyed mass thereof, the sample representing in aggregate the quality of the run as a whole.

I am aware that many machines have been designed for accon'iplishing this result each thereof having certain objections which are sought to be overcome in this device. An advantage in the construction of the present device is that it requires no attention on the part of an operator. It stops its operation when the conveyer for the material stops; it is operated at the same speed as the speed of theconveyer; it selects a sample at. short intervals in the travel of the'mass, then reduces this sample in geometrical progression until the final sample is infinitely smaller than that originally selected but which represents accurately the material from which it was selected.

The invention will be more readily underthe line 4% of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line :5 5 of Fig. 4, the spouts 45 being omitted.

Fig. 6'is-a fragmentary view of a portion of the distributing hopper and return screw, and,

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail of one of the buckets in the drum shown in Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to the drawings it will be seen that. a conveyer 10, is provided by means of which material 11, such as coal, ore, etc, is transferred from a lower to a higher point, the conveyor in this instance being of the belt type and supported on rollers 12, mounted on inclined beams 13. The idle or return portion of the conveyer 10, is indicated at lat. This return portion 1-1, is supported upon and imparts motion to a drum 15, mounted on a suitable shaft in the bearings 16, 2 located in the beams 13. This drum supplies the motive power for actuating the sampling device and it. will be apparent that the action of the sampling device is therefore synchronous with' the travel of the material. As a means for selecting successive samples from the moving mass of material I provide a small liftingconveyer of the bucket type, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Thisconveyer includes a chain 17, having buckets 18,located at intervals thereon, the chain operating on upper and lower sprockets 19, 20. respectively. Sprocket 19, is fixed on ashaft 21, supported in hearings in a triangular frame 22, the overhung end of the shaft 21, carrying a pul ley 23, connected by a belt 24:, to a pulley 25, fixed to and operating with the drum 15. The lower sprocket 20. is carried on a shaft, which is supported by a pair of arms 26, loosely pivoted at their upper ends to the shaft 21. Thus it will be seen that the arms 26. and therefore the elevating conveyer, are adapted for oscillation with the shaft 21 as a pivot. Carried by the frame members the arms 26, with its ends engaging the' notches 28, this being the means employed for regulating the heightof the conveyer and therefore the quantity of material removed from the surface of the convever 10.

Located contiguous to the upper end of the bucket conveyer 18, is a hopper 30, best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, this hopper being so located as to receive material elevated by the buckets. The spout 31,-of the hopper leads the material into a trough 32, within which a screw conveyer 33, is located; As best shown-in Fig. 5, this trough and conveyer terminate at the wall 34 and 'the material is delivered through the opening 35, formed in the trough. Such material is delivered into the first section-of the drum 36. This drum,

- as best shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 7, is composed of outer rings 37, and an intermediate cylinder. The cyllndrical portion is corrugated or formed in such manner as to provide annular grooves 38, triangular in cross section, each two thereof being separated by an an.- nul'ar ring 39, at intervals in which triangular grooves, buckets l0 are provided. these being best shown in Figs. and 7. The

material as it passes out the-opening 35. in the trough drops into the first groove 38,

,and is carried upward by one of the buckets 40. At the top ofthe drum the material is dumped into a hopper ell, suitably supported, on the standards 42. which rcst indirectly on the supports l3. This hopper is located within the drum and is divided into a large number of sections the division being formed by means of the plates 44. As shown. these plates may have an arcuate upper surface coresponding to the arc of the interior of the drum, the division plates ll, being of the same contour as the plates, which outline the sides of the hopper. It will be noted that the alternate plates, H, which serye to divide the hopper into sections, are located insuch manner with relation to the grooves 38,

in the drum that they bisect such grooves and that thereforematerial which is ele vated by the buckets i0, is dumped into the hopper 4:1, and halved, that is, half'of, the material carried by each bucket is delivered to oneside of a plate44, and half to the.

other side. Located at the lower end of each 46, which a-refarranged to deliver rejected .material into the trough 47, while the remaining sections are each provided with'a drum.

The material delivered into the trough 47,

is transferred by means of a screw 48, to a point on the conveyer belt 10, which is above the point from which the original sample alternate section in the hopper are spouts the spout e9.

was taken. The material Which passes downwardthrough the spout 45, into the next section. or groove of the drum is again moved has been halved eight times with the result that if eighteen hundred pounds is only seven removed per hour as a sample, pounds per hour will be delivered through In an eight hour day there will thus be fifty-sixpounds removed as a sample, this representingover seven tons of material originally taken as a samplethese original samples have been taken at intervals of not over a foot from the mass of material it will be seen that the general run of material is accurately represented by fifty-six pounds removed as a sample.

The drum 36, is supported on peripherally grooved rollers 50, supported in suitable hearings on a f 'ame member 51 The roller 50. indicated at the left in Fig. 3, is mounted upon a shaft 52, which carries at one end a pulley 53, connected by a belt 54. to a pulley 55, mounted on a shaft 56. This shaft likewise carries a pulley 57, supporting a belt 5S, which engages a smaller pulley 59. mounted on or connected to the shaft which supports the drum 15. The shaft 56, carries at its outer end a sprocket (30, which is connected by means of a chain (51, to a sprocket (32, best shown in Figs. 2 and -l. which sprocket is keyed to and operates the screw conveyer l8. At the opposite end this conveyer is provided with a gear 63, mesh- I the conveyer 4L8, conveying it from the drum.

From the description it will be seen that the appa 'atus is extremely simple and cannot readily become out of repair; that its 'ope'ations are entirely automatic and re qulre no attention on the part of an operator; that it will remove sepa 'ated samples from a large body of material automatically,

dividing such samples continuously until a relatively small portion of the original sample remains, this sample representing accurately the run of material from which ittwas removed.

It will be noted that the hopper is mounted on the standards l2, and that these standards are secured to the trough 32, by means of a bolt which passes through a slotted It will be seen that it passes to the screw conveyer 33. The material is then discln'irged into the first of the grooves 38 of the drunnone of the buckets 4:0 of which raises the material to the top of the drum and dumps it into the hopper 41. the plates 44 in which serve to divide the material, one-half of which is directed through the spout 46 into the return screw conveyer 48, and the other half into the next succeeding groove 38 of the drum. The material is then raised by a bucket m the last-named groove and again halved, or subdivided, one portion of which is directed into the return conveyer and the remainder into the next succeeding groove of the drum.

I claim:

1.. In con'ibination, means for moving a bod v of material. means for removing and transporting measured quantities of material being moved, a drum to which the removed material is transported, a distributing hopper. and means associated with said hopper and drum for autoniati ally and progressively reducing the quantity of the material so selected.

2. In combination. means for continuously moving a body of material to be tested, means tor selecting and transportmg tractional portions of said material, a d"um to which the selected material is transported. a distributing hopper, and means associated with said hopper and drmn and adapted to progressively divide the samples so selected.

3. In combination, means for continuously moving a bod v of material to be tested. means for selecting and transporting fractional portions of said material. a drum to which the selected material is transported, a distributing hopper. means associated with said hopper and drum and adapted to progressively halve the samples so selected. and means for returning the unused portion of 'said sample to the body of material at a point removed from that at which the sample was selected.

i In a sampling device. the combination of means l or supplying thereto samples of the material to be tested. a rotary clement having a plurality of Ll'its' ot buckets. to the first of which series said samples are supplied and by means of which said material is elevated, said series of buckets being in adjacent positions on said rotary member, a distributing hopper having at least two sections into each of which sections a portion of the material elevated by said buckets is received, the material received in one section being rejected, and that received in another'section being delivered to an adjacent bucket, and means for causing the movement of said rotary member.

5. In a sampling device, the combination of means for supplying thereto samples-of materials to be tested, and means for successively dividing said samples in geometrical progression, said last named means including a drum carrying adjacent'series of buckets, a distributing hopper, said hopper being so arranged as to divide the sample into at least two parts, and means to return one part to an adjacent series of buckets in said drum. I

6. In an automatic sampling device, he combination of means for selecting and conveying samples of the material to be tested, a drum to which the samples are conveyed, said drum having a plurality of series of buckets located in juxtapositioma hopper, said hopper being divided into a plurality of sections, each section having an outlet, the material delivered to one section being delivered through its outlet to an adjacent section of the drum, and that delivered to another section of the hopper being rejected.

7. In a sampling device, the combination of a conveyer for moving a body of material to be tested, means for selecting samples from separated portions of said material and for delivering said samples to the halving device, a drum and a hopper included in said halving device, said drum being provided with adjacent series of buckets, said hopper being located within said drum, and means associated with said hopper for dividing successive samples into halves rejecting onehalf and retaining one-halt for further division.

8. In a S11lll]:)lll'lg device. the combination of means for c mtinuously moving a bod v of material. means for selecting and transporting measured samples of the material being moved. means whereby the selecting llltzllh may be adjusted for varying the quantities of the material so selected. a drum to which the samples are transported. a distributing hopper. and means associated with said hopper and drum vtor progressively reducing he quantity of the material so selected. substantially as described.

9. In a sampling device. the combination of means for continuously moving a bodv ot material to be tested. means operable in timed relation with said matcrial-moving means for -sclecting and transporting measured samples from the body of material being moved. a drum having lit'ting lights and to which the samples are. transported,

and a hopper having a plurality of sections into each of which sections a portion or the material elevated by said flights is received,

- the material received in one section being rejected and that received in another section being delivered to an adjacent flight, whereby the material lifted by the flights in said drum is automatically and progressively reduced in quantity by a definite ratio,

substantially as described.

10. In a device of the class described, the

I combination of a conveyer by means of which material is continuously moved, means operable n timed relation to SillCl conveyer for removing. and transporting measured samples of the material being conveyed, a

plurality of elevating devices ar'anged in juxtaposition, means for delivering the samoles'selected to the first of said elevating devices, and a hopper having a pair of sec; tions associated with each elevating device, the sections being arranged whereby a portion of the material selected is received by one section and is re ected and another porthe arrangement being such that a portion ofthe material is receivedby one section and is rejected and another portion is received by'the second section and delivered to the next succeeding elevating device, substantially as described.

12. In a device of the class described, the combination of means for supplying measured samples of the material to be tested, a plu-ality of elevating devices arranged in juxtaposition, means for delivering the samples selected to thefirst of said elevating devices, a hopper having a pair of sections associated with each elevating device, and

means for varying the relative proportions of material accepted by the sections, 'substantially as described.

13-. In a device of theclass described, the combination of a conveyer by means of which a body of material is continuously inoved, a bucket conveyrso mounted that the buckets thereof engage the material on said conveyer, a drum having a plurality of series of flights on the inner surface thereof,

means for moving the material selected by .said buckets to the first; of said series of flights in said drum, and a pair of chutes aS- sociated with each of the series of flights in said drum, said chutes being so arranged that a portion of the material lifted by said flights is rejected and another portion de-.

livered to the next succeeding series of flights insaid drum, substantially as described.

14. In a. sampling device, the combination 76 of means for moving a body of material to be tested, means for removing measured quantities of the material being tested, said. last named meansincluding an endless chain having. buckets thereon, means for tran'sporting said measured quantities to the first series of buckets of the-distributing drum, :1 distributing drum provided with a plurality of series of buckets, said series of buckets be- I ing placed in juxtaposition, a hopper associ- 80 ated with said drum, and division plates in said hopper, each alternate division plate intersecting one of said series of buckets, the material falling on one side of said division plates being rejected, and that falling on the other side being delivered to an adacent series of buckets, substantially as described.

- CARL A. WENDELL.

'Witnesses:

THOMAS J. SAMPSON, WILBUR C. FRY, Jr.

(iopies of this patentmay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

